In U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,900, one of the inventors herein disclosed a rapid oxidation process to produce a gas for use as a fuel from water and carbon. This gas product is created by the decomposition of water through oxidation. Hydrogen is displaced when a substance is oxidized in water. Rapid oxidation can be forced by using an electrical arc to burn a substance within the water, thereby oxidizing the substance by an electrothermal chemical reaction. The result is the rapid formation of a compound of hydrogen and carbon monoxide gas (COH.sub.2). As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,900, an electrical arc can be provided by supplying electrical energy to electrodes such that an electrical arc passes therebetween with the temperature of the arc perhaps exceeding 6000.degree. F. The heat and difference of potential between the carbon electrodes ionizes and vaporizes the carbon in an exothermic reaction. Electrons pass through the vaporized carbon causing the carbon vapor to oxidize or burn. The displacement of oxygen in the water by forced rapid oxidation releases carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas. This is an endothermic reaction.
Research has shown that the reaction energy is not being utilized in a manner that is as efficient as possible. Further research has indicated that high intensity light radiation generated during the reaction can be captured and used to improve the efficiency of the process. As with solar radiation, UV radiation created by the reaction can be converted into heat when striking a nonreflective surface. When an opaque reaction chamber is used in the process, the light radiation of the arc is retained within the reaction chamber and is converted into heat energy when striking the chamber surface. This heats the solution and provides improved efficiency. Some of the heat energy is lost in this configuration due to conduction losses through the chamber walls.
A much more efficient way to use the light energy of the electric arc is to reflect and focus the radiant energy into the point of reaction by using a highly reflective reaction chamber. Optimum results are obtained using a spherical chamber. When focused back to the point of reaction, light energy is converted to heat and added to the heat of the reaction. Because this process is an endothermic reaction, the recovered light energy, as heat, will increase the rate of reaction and improve the efficiency of gas production. The efficiency of the reaction is further enhanced when conducted at pressure higher than standard atmospheric pressure.